Ruffling feathers on the F1 ladder

FIA Single Seater Commission president Gerhard Berger has one of racing's toughest jobs - and it's impossible to do it without upsetting a few people, as MARCUS SIMMONS finds out

Gerhard Berger is on animated form. As president of the FIA's Single Seater Commission, he's invited AUTOSPORT to his Monaco office to explain the methodology behind his recent moves - particularly in Formula 3 - that frequently so irritate or infuriate those in the UK. You can't really call it a bridge-building exercise - his passion and zeal are too intense to placate those who have already decided on a 'them-and-us' stance - but it provides a great insight into the man and his ambitions.

Let's clear one thing up first. For years people have been ranting about the FIA not doing enough to clean up the cluttered junior ranks. Then, when Berger took over the Commission's presidency two and a half years ago from Barry Bland (a much more consensus-driven, subtle character than Berger), they complained about the radical measures the Austrian was taking to do just that.